Wild Edibles

With its lance-like leaves that have a touch of white and its dainty white blooms that have a touch of pinkish purple, the three-to-five foot herb mountain mint lights up the edge of Blue Ridge forests.

Of the four Rubus species in these mountains, the raspberry is the first to ripen, sometimes as early as mid-June.

Fragaria virginiana is one of the first plants to bloom in these mountains, thus supplying a wide variety of bees, butterflies, and moths with an important source of pollen and nectar.

Land cress looks much like watercress with its small square leaves and also has a similar peppery or mustard-like taste.

Despite its unappealing exterior, this member of the jelly mushroom family is edible and though it does not boast the flavor of morels, for example, it does add structure and substance to soups, salads, stews, and egg dishes.